Quest For Life
by blackkitty479
Summary: "Ancient vampires were the pharaohs of civilization." And one of their relics, hidden in Egypt, may change the life of one of their descendants forever. Literally.
1. The Beginning

**Besides the fact that I am a Sanctuary addict, I am also a little obsessed with Egyptian Mythology. So, I came up with this fic idea...It won't be too much Teslen in the first two chapters, because I need some space to develop my ideas. Because of the Egyptian Mythology thing, this fic may also have a bit of a _Stargate _feeling, but I hope that won't bother you too much...**

* * *

It was almost midnight and Helen was in her office, reading a book about Egyptian Mythology. Will came in, looking worried. He knew by now that Helen wasn't the type to sleep too much, but in the previous two months, she had found it harder and harder to fall asleep.

"You called me. What happened?" he asked.

"I just got a call from the Egyptian Sanctuary. Someone has tried to break into the Secret Cave of Khebet."

"Khebet? I thought that city was just a myth."

"Will, exactly where have you been working in the last two years?"

"Good point. So, what is in that cave?"

"How much do you know about the Myth of Isis and Osiris?"

"Show some mercy for a poor mortal."

"Osiris was once the King of Egypt. His brother Seth, who was envious of him, tricked Osiris. He built a coffin and challenged every one at a party to try it. However, the coffin didn't fit anyone."

"Except Osiris."

"Precisely. As soon as Osiris lay back in it, the coffin slammed shut and Seth sealed it with lead and threw it into the Nile. Osiris's sister, Isis, went to search the coffin, because she feared that without the proper ceremonies, her brother won't be able to enter the place of the dead. She learned that the coffin had floated down the Nile and had got embedded in the trunk of a cedar tree. Fearing that she would find a way to revive his brother, Seth took Osiris's body out and dismembered him into 14 parts, scattering them across all Egypt. Once again, Isis went to search her brother's body parts, but only found 13 of them, with the help of Nephthys, Seth's sister. Isis managed to resurrect Osiris and had a child with him, Horus, which eventually won the battle with Seth."

"And this is relevant because…"

"Well, this is the official version. The unofficial one is that Osiris and Isis were rulers of Egypt. Seth indeed killed Osiris by dismembering his body, but Isis wasn't able to revive him. She had already been pregnant with her son Horus when Osiris was killed. The only thing that was left of Osiris was his blood, which Isis kept hidden in Khebet, fearing that Seth will eventually find it and use it."

"So Osiris's blood was valuable?"

"Osiris was one of the first vampires."

"So his blood had miraculous properties. And I'm guessing that's why Seth dismembered his body, right? Because…"

"It's the only way you can kill a vampire. Yes."

"And now somebody tried to steal it."

"Yes. Fortunately, they didn't succeed, because the blood is protected by a series of traps and labyrinths, but this doesn't mean they won't try again."

"Any idea who tried to steal the blood?"

"No. But we need to find out. And, most important, we need to take the blood ourselves and destroy it. If that blood falls into the wrong hands…"

"Someone could use it to create vampires?"

"I honestly don't know. You see, Osiris was one of the first vampires, so his genetic pattern is different from the one of younger vampires. His blood could be a lot more dangerous than the Source blood itself."

"Is this the only reason you want to get that blood?"

"Of course."

"I'm sorry, Magnus, but I don't believe you."

"Well, I won't deny that I like the idea of running some tests on it, but destroying it is a lot more important. Using the Source Blood was a mistake, Will, and I am not going to repeat it."

"So I am guessing this doesn't have absolutely anything to do that you have feelings for someone that was a vampire and you want to give him his powers back?"

Helen's heart stopped for a second when she heard Will. Osiris's blood could have helped Nikola, she had thought at that, but it was just too dangerous. However, Will was right about one thing. She wanted Nikola to be the same again. Because, as much as she hated to admit, the thought of him not being around for as long as she lived made her tremble.

"I don't think the blood will work on Nikola, Will. And I assure you that Nikola and I are just friends. Nothing more."

Will couldn't stop himself from analyzing her body language. He hated himself for doing this, he but he was a psychoanalyst before everything else. She had lowered her gaze, avoiding his and she was nervously playing with a pen. Everything indicated the fact that she was lying.

"I don't understand why you keep hiding your feelings, Magnus. I mean, to be completely honest with you, I don't like him very much, because he is arrogant and stubborn, but you love him and you know that."

"I don't. I am just worried for him. He is not the type to watch his back too much, and now he is mortal and vulnerable…"

"I remember I asked you why you were trying so hard to make him a vampire again. You said it was because of nostalgia, because you are the last of The Five now. I now realize that you lied to me. Your feelings for him are much deeper than that. You tried to revamp him because you realized that you can't live without him."

"Dr. Zimmerman." She said coldly and in that moment Will knew that he had gone too far. "My feelings are none of your business. Please tell the others that tomorrow we are leaving for Cairo."

With a sigh, Will left, leaving her alone with her feelings. She wouldn't have dared to try Osiris's blood on Nikola, because she didn't know anything about it. She didn't know if a serum could have been synthesized from it, and injecting the blood in its pure form would have been pure madness. Osiris's blood had to be destroyed. Period.

Helen tried to get some sleep, but she kept thinking about what Will had told her. She was angry at him because he had dared to ask her about her personal life. Not to mention that he was wrong. She didn't love Nikola, they were just friends. Then why did she desperately want to see him? Why was he able to make her mind go to the craziest places possible with a single smirk? And, most important, why was she worried for him? She tried to tell herself that she would have been equally worried for any one of The Five, but she knew it was a lie. The truth was that over the years, Nikola had always been there for her. In some very strange ways, admittedly, but she knew that she could count on him. This had made her want him around. If not besides her, at least somewhere out there. She wanted him to be safe. No. She _desperately needed_ him to be safe…


	2. An Unusual Guide

**Alirght, so this is my second chapter...uploaded a lot sooner than I expected fortunately. It is a pretty short one, but it explains a few things that may prove themselves important in the future. As usually, thank you for all your great reviews!**

* * *

"And you say this woman could help us find Osiris's blood?" asked Kate, a little worried.

"My friend Pili said that she would trust her with her life, so yes." Helen replied. To be completely honest with herself, she didn't know anything about this female, but Pili had sworn that she was the only one that could guide her through the labyrinths that protected the blood of Osiris.

After a two hours walk through the desert, they arrived in front of the mysterious woman's house. It was a small house, alone in the middle of the desert, and Will couldn't help wandering himself why did that woman choose to live in a place like this.

Suddenly, the door opened, allowing them to see an old woman, probably in her late 70s. Even though she was old, it was clearly that she had once been a beautiful, noble woman. Her green eyes, as deep as the sea, showed wisdom.

"I am sorry for disturbing you, but we are here to see Aset." said Helen in a respectful tone. She wasn't the type to be impressed too easily, but there was something about this woman that intimidated her.

"Well I guess your journey is not useless in that case. I am the one who they call Aset."

"I am Helen Magnus and these are Will Zimmerman and Kate Freelander."

"This must be a mistake. We were told that Aset can help us find Osiris's blood." said Kate.

"I can. I haven't decided if I _want_ to help you yet." Aset's tone indicated that Kate had offended her.

"Please, Madam, don't be offended." Said Will. "We were under the impression that you'd be a little…"

"…younger?" The old lady now seemed to be amused. "Yes, years have left their mark on me. That doesn't mean I can't help you."

"Then, will you please help us with this, Madam? I assure you it is a matter of most importance." Said Helen, praying that she accepts.

"You are English." Aset said with a cold tone. "Come closer."

Helen clearly didn't have another option, so she approached the old lady and let her take her hand into hers. Even though her fingers were cold, her touch felt like fire on Helen's skin. She immediately cursed herself for being so incautious in the presence of someone who clearly was an Abnormal, a thing that Pili had forgotten to mention obviously. However, after little time, the woman's touch felt reassuring and soon after she released Helen's hand.

For a second, Helen could have sworn that Aset was now the one who was intimidated by her. But the old woman didn't let her moment of weakness last for too long.

"I shall help you." She said briefly. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I trust you. You may be the one."

"I am sorry?" Helen asked, a little confused.

"His fiery lips have left their mark on yours. Even though you don't want to admit, your love for him burns you on the inside. Whenever he is around, an ocean of fire is melting your heart. You are strong and your heart is made of ice, but you won't be able to resist for too long."

"I am sorry, Aset, but I don't know what you are talking about."

"Please, call me Stella. My real name is Stella Marris, but the Egyptians have always called me _Aset_"

"Alright then. Stella, what were you talking about?"

"You've been kissed my dear. By a vampire."

"That is crazy." Said Will.

"Young man, only because your leader chose not to tell you about this aspect of her life, it doesn't mean I am crazy."

"She is right, Will." Helen admitted. She hadn't told him about the fact that Nikola had kissed her one year before in Rome, because that would have probably fueled his "_You love Nikola"_ theory, but now she had no other choice than admitting.

"Are you telling me that you and Fang Boy kissed?" asked Kate. "And you never told us?"

"It was nothing!" Helen said, angry that their discussion had taken a completely inappropriate path. "I didn't want to kiss him; he tricked me to do it! It was a short kiss; it only lasted a few seconds! It didn't mean anything, I swear."

"A few seconds?" Stella asked. "Time is the most powerful thing in Universe, and nothing can defeat it. Except _love_…"

"Will you please help us find the blood, Stella? We need to know where the entrance in the Secret Cave of Kebet is."

"I will show you. I am coming with you."

"I don't mean to be rude, but are you sure you can handle this?" Helen asked, a little worried. Even though Stella was clearly an Abnormal, she was old and Helen didn't want to take any chances.

"Age is just a number, my dear Helen. You should know that better than anyone."

Their road to the Secret Cave was a peaceful one, no one had interrupted them. Stella was the one leading the way, closely followed by Helen and the others. Helen was nothing if not intrigued by the old woman. She clearly was an Abnormal, probably a telepathic one; however, her powers only seemed to work on Helen. She didn't seem capable of reading either Will or Kate's thoughts.

When they got to the cave, Stella seemed to be worried.

"Someone else was here before us." She said.

"Any idea who it might be?"

"He came to my place few days ago. He wanted the blood too, but I didn't trust him, so I refused to help."

"How did he look like?"

"One has to worry about the competition and not the opponents."

Soon after, they entered the dark cave, turning on their lanterns. It was indeed a labyrinth, full of tunnels leading to God-knows where.

"We have to find the Chamber of Four. It will tell us where to go." Said Stella in a whisper.

They let her lead the way, but soon their lanterns went off, leaving them into darkness.

"I thought you changed the batteries, Will." Said Kate angrily.

"I did, I swear."

"Well, obviously, you didn't, because they are not working!" Kate yelled at him.

"Would you please keep quiet?" Helen whispered on a threatening tone. "We are not alone."

Before yelling at Will again, Kate discovered that her boss was right. Someone was clearly following them. They hid behind a wall; their hearts beating faster than normally as the unknown man was approaching them. Their follower had a working lantern and a gun, which obviously gave him some advantage, but he was alone and they were four, so Helen wasn't too worried. However, their follower seemed to know that he was being watched, because he turned off his lantern, plunging the tunnel into complete darkness. The next second, Helen came out from the shadows and pointed her gun at the stranger.

"Stop right there." She ordered. "Put your gun down. Now."


	3. Chamber of the Four

**Just a small note before this chapter: the next upload will take me a lot of time, two weeks minimum, because I will leave on a holiday and I won't have my computer with me. That being said, I hope you'll like this chapter and that you won't hate me for making you wait for too long. I hope the names of the Egyptian deities are accurate, I got them from a book on Egyptian Mythology so they should be good.:P**

* * *

Despite the fact that a gun was being pointed at him, the stranger turned around slowly.

"Come on, Helen, is this the way you greet an old friend?"

Even if it was dark, she would have recognized that voice anywhere. "Nikola." She said harshly. "That explains a lot." She lowered her gun, waiting for him to do the same. "Since you are obviously the only one with a working lantern, would you please turn it on?"

"Does this mean you are not in the mood for a heavy kissing session in the dark?" Since there was no gun pointed at him anymore, Nikola had approached her so much that his breath was now tickling her face. She didn't even dare to think how close to each other their lips were.

"Yes." Helen said, trying to be as convincing as possible.

Nikola scoffed and turned on his lantern. "Stubborn as always."

"I suppose you were the one that tried to steal the blood." Helen said on an accusing tone.

"I wasn't. I swear. As a matter of fact, I came here to help you."

"Help me?"

"Yes. I went to the Sanctuary few days ago and you weren't there, so I asked Wolfie where you are."

"His name is _Henry_, Nikola!"

"Whatever."

"I don't believe you. Stella, is this the man that came to your place?"

"No. I never saw him in my life. But I can tell you if you should trust him. Give me your hand."

This clearly wasn't what Nikola had planned, but the look on Helen's face told him that he had no choice.

When the old lady touched Nikola's hand, she looked shocked, even more than how she had been when she had touched Helen.

"Finally." She muttered.

"What happened, Stella?" Will asked.

Still holding Nikola's hand in hers, Stella also grabbed Helen's hand, and, before anyone of them could say something against it, she put Helen's hand into Nikola's.

"Fire and ice…" she whispered. "So different, and yet so alike. The love for each other is consuming them on the inside. United by the blood that runs in their veins before being united forever by the love that is tormenting their hearts."

"Excuse me?" Helen said.

"He was the vampire that kissed you, Helen, wasn't he?"

"You told someone who you only know for a few days about our kiss? I knew you liked it." Nikola's smirk was unfairly sexy.

"I didn't. She read my thoughts, that's all."

"You wanted an answer, Helen. Here it is. You can trust him with your life. You already knew that. Your problem is that you don't listen to your heart as much as you should."

"I am always surprised by the wisdom which is in the words of the elders." Nikola said grinning. Helen was still holding his hand, despite the fact that Stella had released them from her grip.

"You can let go of my hand now, Helen. But you obviously don't want to, so…"

She let go of his hand as fast as she could, completely aware of the fact that she was blushing.

"Alright. You can come with us." She said with a deep sigh. "But I am keeping my eyes on you. If you try any of your smart tricks, I swear I will make sure you'll regret it every day of your life."

"It's hard for you, isn't it?"

"What?" Helen asked on a threatening tone.

"Keeping your eyes off me." Nikola said grinning.

"Stella, you said that we need to get in the Chamber of Four." Helen said, trying to focus on their mission and not on the fact that Nikola was completely right.

"Yes."

"I'll need to fix your lanterns before that." Said Nikola.

"What do you mean, fix them? Their batteries are dead, because _Dr. Zimmerman _forgot to change them!" said Kate, still angry at Will.

"Children these days… As much as I tend to blame Junior for everything that goes wrong, this time it is not his fault. There was some kind of energy force field at the entrance. It practically sucks the energy out of everything."

"How come your lantern is still working, then?" Helen asked.

"Allow me, m'lady." Nikola said, taking her lantern. He squeezed it a little and with a little noise, the lantern started working again.

"How did you do that? I thought you are magnetic now."

"I've been magnetic all of my life, my dear. It only took you a long time to notice."

"You know what I mean." Helen said harshly.

"Electromagnetic induction. You can use a magnetic field to create electric current."

"Alright. Let's go. If you said you weren't the one that tried to steal the blood, it means that we have to find it before the others do."

With Stella leading the way, the team soon arrived in a great chamber with a stone table in the middle. On the table there were a set of hieroglyphic markings that Helen tried to translate.

"Stella, what does it say?" she asked.

"I shall only lead you on your journey; you have to find the answers yourself."

"Great. We are stuck."

"If only you knew someone who wrote a history of vampires and is more than happy to help you translate those hieroglyphs for a fair price…"

"Alright." Helen knew she wasn't going to like this. "Name your price. But you are not getting your hands on Osiris's blood, is that clear?"

"Vampire blood, Helen? Trust me, if I could ask you one thing, I wouldn't ask for that. But I could never say no to a kiss from you."

"We'll talk about this later."

"Good. So we established the price and we will negotiate later."

"Nikola…"

"Alright, alright. It says that in order to get the blood, we need to find the four pieces of a key, each of them hidden in a different chamber. After we find all of them, we need to take them in the 5th chamber, where lies the blood of Osiris."

"What's the catch?" Will asked.

"Apparently, each one of the five chambers is protected by an Egyptian god or goddess. Sekhmet, Sobek, Amaunet and Geb."

"Fire and water, wind and earth." Helen said. "The four elements."

"You are so hot when you are being brainy."

"What about the fifth room?" Helen asked, ignoring the fact that Nikola was simply incorrigible.

"Well, it doesn't say anything about the god that protects it. I guess we'll have to figure it out on our own."

"Since it doesn't say that the pieces must be taken in a specific order, I guess we could split up. Will, take Kate and Stella to Sekhmet's chamber and Nikola and I will take Sobek's for now."

"No!" said Stella, angrier than ever before. "There are only two who can obtain the fragments. Fire and ice, bounded for eternity. It's the way it should be."

"Fine." Said Helen.

"Don't be sad, Helen. I appreciate the fact that you wanted to be alone with me anyway…"

"We'll start with Sobek then."

With Helen leading the way, they got to a chamber with a crocodile engraved on the tombstone that was covering the entrance.

"This has to be it. There is also an inscription on the tombstone." Said Helen. "What does it say?"

"He who enters the kingdom of Sobek shall have his heart measured. If his heart is burdened, he is bound to be buried in a watery grave. For no hidden feelings can enter here and survive."

"Alright. So we have to be careful." Said Helen. With great effort, they managed to move the tombstone, freeing the entrance. Nikola was the first that entered and held out his hand for Helen. She hesitantly took his hand and stepped into the chamber. The others tried to follow her, but it was too late. Suddenly, the door closed, trapping the two inside and water started flowing from the walls.

"Bloody hell!" shouted Helen as the room began to fill with water…


	4. Just Add Water

**My muse has been very friendly lately, so as you can see, I managed to write another chapter, one day before my departure...This is a little less serious than the other three, but a lot more Teslen, so I think that makes it even...:P**

* * *

Sobek's chamber continued filling with water, making the water level reach their necks. They were barely holding themselves at the surface.

"Do you have any idea that will get us out of here?" Helen asked desperately.

"I don't. After all, it's your fault." Nikola accused.

"_My_ fault? How dare you? It was obviously some kind of trap; we don't know who triggered it!"

"Come on, Helen. Remember the writing? _For no hidden feelings can enter and survive_? We both know that you have some hidden feelings, so why don't you just admit it?"

"Nonsense."

"Irony is, I often wondered what this moment would be like."

"What? Drowning? "

"No. Me. You. Alone. All wet. Preferably naked. Or close to it."

If Nikola hadn't been watching her, Helen would have kicked herself. They were about to die, and his words had just made her picture him! _Shirtless!_

"Nikola, would you please focus for once and help me? Do you want to die?" she asked, using all her concentration to get her mind out of the gutter.

His smirk faded in a second. He never liked to remember that he was mortal now.

"No." he said in the most sincere tone. "We obviously can't stop the water from flowing, so we'll need to find a way out of here."

"There is an inscription on the floor." Helen said. "I didn't manage to read it."

She didn't even have the time to finish the phrase when he dived. After the longest two minutes of her life, he returned to the surface.

"It doesn't say too much. Something about how the minions of Sobek shall kill the ones that don't admit their feelings."

"Tell me you didn't make that up."

"I am not _that_ crazy."

"This is obviously just a myth. Sobek is not real, how can he know that we are lying?"

"I don't have any idea." The water almost covered them entirely. They were fighting to get to the ceiling in order to get some air.

"Listen, Helen, I don't think we'll get out of this, so I just wanted to say… I love you."

She wasn't able to reply, because she only had a second to take a deep breath before the water had covered them entirely. Underwater, she opened her eyes and saw Nikola besides her, not breathing. The thought of him dying simply froze her. She had to save him. Her doctor instincts told her to keep him alive as much as possible. And in a second, the doctor in her did what the woman had been dreaming to do for so much time. She pressed her lips on his, trying to give him some of the oxygen he needed so much. But then, something happened. His arms encircled her and at first she thought that this was one of his reflexes. Only soon after, his mouth planted a wet kiss on her neck. Without any possible reason, the water level began decreasing. Angry that she had been tricked again, she pushed him away and swam to the surface.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" she asked, trying to be as angry as possible. "I almost thought you were dead! Why do you always have to come up with these elaborate plans to get me to kiss you?"

"Actually, I never plan ahead. I basically improvise." He said smirking. "And it was the only thing I could do to convince this water elemental not to kill us."

"Water elemental?"

"Yes, Helen. This is not regular water. It is an elemental, and it won't let us go until we admit our feelings for each other."

"Well, we kissed. What the hell does he want from us now?"

"Well, actually, I forced you to kiss me. I don't think it is convinced."

"What do you suggest, then?"

"Did I ever mention how much I _love _these creatures?" his arrogant smile told everything.

"Oh no. Not. going. to. happen."

"Well, if you want to spend your whole life being alone with me and all wet…" he couldn't help a flirty smile when he said this. After all, it didn't sound _that_ bad…"It's your choice." He continued after a short pause. " You know as well as I do that it is our only way out…"

"Fine." She muttered. She knew she wasn't going to like this. Then why did a part of her want it so much to happen? "Make it as short as poss-"

She couldn't end her sentence because his lips met hers, eagerly awaiting her to give in. She tried to release herself from his grip, but his arms were like straps. Plus she didn't actually try her best to release herself. Their kiss felt so…forced by the circumstances, so…forbidden, but it felt inexplicably right, she thought. He tilted her head up, his soft, wet lips devouring hers. Not being able to stop it, she gave in to the butterflies in her stomach and with a long deep moan, she opened her mouth, allowing him entrance. His tongue massaged hers, making her gasp. _What the bloody hell was she doing? Why couldn't she just stop?_

With all the determination that she still had (it was quite a few), she let him go from her embrace (_When had her arms encircled him?)_ and forced his mouth off hers. The water was now almost gone, except for a little puddle. Now that they were safe, she deliberately avoided his gaze, not wanting to let him see how much their kiss had affected her. Their kiss had practically rendered her knees trembling. Nikola looked equally affected. He had kissed her and she didn't do anything to stop it.

"Was that short enough for you, my dear?" he asked with one of his characteristic smirks.

"We got away, that's what matters." She said, making a desperate effort to maintain an even tone.

"Well, there is still some water here and we didn't get the key. "He said. "So, obviously, and _unfortunately_, we will need to…" His ironic tone indicated that he had a pretty good idea about how much she had liked their kiss.

Helen glared at him. Her mind was trying to keep her passion at bay, but her traitorous heart was screaming for more. However, a niche opened in one of the walls, revealing the fragment they had obtained in such pleasant way. She practically ran to get it. After what had happened, the further she stayed away from Nikola, the better.

He scoffed silently, but didn't do anything to stop it.

"So, no third kiss?" he asked with a disappointed voice. It was a good thing the door opened, because she couldn't have resisted those eyes for too long.

"Magnus are you alright?" asked Will worried.

"Yes, Will. I am fine. We got the fragment."

"Actually, it's _how_ they got it that matters most…" said Stella. "History is bound to repeat itself. On Sobek's territory, no secrets can be kept. You saw that for yourself, Helen. Your heart has been drowned in an ocean of passion and you want that to happen again as soon as possible."

"What do you mean?" asked Kate. The blush in Helen's cheeks told everything.

At this, Nikola didn't say anything, but couldn't help a victorious grin. Helen sighed and fluterred her eyes, forcing herself to deny the fact that the old lady was right. She was going to have a very serious conversation with Stella about the fact that her thoughts had to remain private.

"You didn't… Again?" Kate asked, realizing the truth.

"We will need to get the other three fragments, and fast." Helen said.

"Do not change the subject, Magnus. Kate asked you something." Will added.

Helen didn't say anything, but nodded briefly, before leading the way to the next chamber.

Nikola and Will remained behind her, Will studying him.

"You do realize that you are the only one who is able to make her act like this, don't you?"

Nikola smirked. He was starting to like Will. "Just add water, Junior."


	5. Fire

_**I don't know if you missed me, but I've surely missed you! I finally wrote this next chapter and I am more than waiting to hear what you think about it. **_

**_Only a few more things: about the riddle...poetry is not exactly my gig if you know what I mean, but I did my best. I hope the syllable thing is right, I used a dictionary so it should be._**

**_Any things that don't make sense at this moment will in the next chapters. That's a promise._**

**_Oh, and...enjoy!_**

* * *

"Stella, I have to talk with you about something" said Helen, as they were heading to Sekhmet's chamber.

"What is it, my dear?"

"_Actually, I was hoping that it would be a private conversation."_ thought Helen.

"_Alright. Have it your way."_

"_Listen, I know you probably think you are helping me, but I prefer my thoughts remain private if you know what I mean."_

"_You are angry that I told the others about the kiss you shared with Nikola or that I exposed your feelings?"_

"_Both, I guess."_

"_Listen, Helen, I know what it's like. Being in love with a vampire. You need my help."_

"_Firstly, Nikola is not a vampire anymore."_

"_He's still a vampire inside his soul. Nothing can take this away from him. He's brilliant, deadly attractive…"_

"_Selfish and arrogant…"_

"_Doesn't he have the right to be arrogant, Helen? The truth is that you are scared to death to face reality. The effect he has on your heart…it creeps you out. How he can make it beat a lot faster than normal with a single whisper or stop it for a second with just one of his smirks. You may try to hide the truth, Helen, but you can't do it forever. I know that you think that you can't be in love with him but this doesn't change the fact that every time your lips touch his, your blood turns to fire. And there is a part of you that wouldn't give up this felling for anything. You have to admit your feelings, Helen. Your mission depends on this."_

"_I am sorry, but I am not willing to take advices from someone younger than me."_ Helen said harshly. She didn't mean to be rude, but she was angry on Stella.

"_I never said you should, my dear."_ Stella replied and Helen was relieved to see that she hadn't been offended, because she knew that Stella was after all trying to do the right thing. And maybe she was on to something about her feelings concerning Nikola…Helen was grateful that they had reached the entrance to Sekhmet's chamber and she had an excuse not to think about Stella's words.

"He or she who thinks it is worthy of finding out the darkest secrets of humanity shall step on this pedestal and shall be given a vital clue." Nikola read the hieroglyphs. When Helen didn't react, he stepped on the stone, but nothing happened.

"What a surprise." Said Helen with an ironic tone. "Sekhmet doesn't like you."

"But you do." He said grinning. However, the look on her face made him realize that it wasn't the proper moment for joking. "You think you would do a better job, Helen?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Well, then, it's all yours…_Sweet Lips._"

"I am only going to say this once, Nikola. I wouldn't have kissed you if our mission hadn't depended on this. And I assure you it was the last kiss you will ever get from me. Now, step away." Ignoring the look on his face and the fact that she had most certainly blushed, she stepped on the stone. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but soon she felt like blood had just frozen in her veins. She couldn't move. Her lips split and she started speaking, but the words weren't hers.

_I am a lonely wanderer who needs not a single guide._

_I walk winter or summer, day or night._

_Some try to cheat me, but here's a thing you can't hide:_

_It is useless against my powers to fight,_

_Because I will always keep walking on my way._

_I will only slow down a bit for few,_

_Who know the bloody secret that can make me stay._

_If you want to find out the secret too_

_Keep in mind that I can be a friend or a foe_

_And if you cheat me, you I guarantee:_

_Completely alone on the path of life you'll go._

_This, my dear, is a story old as me. _

"Sorry for interrupting, Magnus, but do you really think it is the time for poetry?" Kate asked.

"You won't believe it, Kate, but I think I just found a clue."

"Maybe, but what does it mean?"

"I have no idea." She said disappointed.

"Maybe it doesn't matter." Nikola said, pointing out to a pedestal that had risen from the ground in the opposite part of the room. The fragment was on it, apparently unguarded.

"It's too easy." Helen said, but it was too late. Nikola had already started walking towards the pedestal. However, when he stepped on a stone, there was a loud 'click' and the next thing he knew was that he was lying on the ground, with Helen on top of him.

"Well, Helen, I would have never guessed you like it rough, but I can totally work with that." He said with a smirk.

"Don't be silly." She said, fluttering her eyes. "That thing would have killed you."

Trying to focus despite the fact that Helen was still deliciously close to him, he realized that she was right. Fire arrows were flying all over the chamber. The children seemed to have managed to defend themselves. Will and Kate were standing near a wall, and Stella was lying on the ground, apparently unharmed.

"You are right. You saved my life." Nikola said and hugged her, pressing her body to his, just in time to shield her from an arrow that would have probably hit her. Sure, he could have told her to duck, but hugging her was a lot more interesting… Still holding her, he rolled over so that he was now standing atop of her.

"Now, do you want to talk about the reward you deserve for saving my life?" he whispered, sending shivers down her spine. She closed her eyes, not daring to think how close his lips were to hers.

"It won't be necessary." She muttered.

"Are you sure? Cause I could spend a whole night rewarding you…" His lips were almost touching hers and pure desire was starting to burn her on the inside. She was starting to give in, and she hated herself for this. But after all, how much could a kiss hurt? She bit her lip, trying to regain control over her traitorous body, but it didn't help her too much.

"Not that I would want to interrupt your flirting session…" Will yelled, "…but we are dying here!" This got her mind out of the gutter. She pushed Nikola away, making him lie next to her.

"I hate children." Nikola muttered.

"Alright, so firstly, these are not arrows." She said, her heart still beating a lot faster than normal. "They are _Avis Igneus."_

"Fire birds, for those who don't know Latin." Nikola said.

"Exactly."

"Alright. How do we get rid of them?" asked Kate.

"I have no idea. Stella, a little help?"

"Youngsters…always are searching for the things that are right in front of them."

"Of course. Sekhmet's clue." Helen said.

"It didn't make too much sense." Nikola said.

"On the contrary. It did. Think about it. Sekhmet is a goddess. A woman."

"So?"

"What do women like? What do I love, for example?"

"You mean besides 154 year old handsome geniuses?"

"Riddles, Nikola! It's a riddle! We have to solve it to get the fragment."

He didn't reply, but he looked at her, grinning.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked.

"You didn't deny the fact that you love me."

"I beg you, Nikola, focus! I need your help."

"Well, the answer can't be related to fire, because it would be too easy."

"Right."

"So, why did this clue come into your mind? Why wasn't it written on the walls or something?"

"Because it only makes sense in English. It is a personalized riddle, if you wish."

"Helen, we are talking about a thing that is like, thousands of years old. They didn't know English back then."

"It probably learned it, telepathically. I've seen this before."

"Alright, so besides the lyrics there is a clue hidden in the rhyme or in the number of lyrics or something?"

"The number of syllables has a pattern. 12, 10. 12,10."

"Not to mention that there are 12 verses."

"Alright. So 12 could mean 12 months of the year, but 10?"

"You know, I expect a reward for helping you with this. In Ancient Egypt, the week had 10 days. Not 7."

"So, the answer to the riddle is _time_?"

"I don't know. What happens if we are wrong?"

"Let's not find that out, alright?"

"Well, if we base our theory on the number of syllables and all that, it works, but the riddle itself…I don't know."

"It makes sense. _Bloody secret_ could refer to something related to blood, well, vampire blood to be more precise."

"And that whole _alone on the path of life you will go _thing? Helen, this riddle was made by a vampire. Trust me; I never had this problem when I was one of them."

"It wasn't written by a vampire necessarily. We don't know if Isis was a vampire too. And it is obvious that the ones that would want to get the blood for themselves would never think at this downside of immortality. You have no idea what it's like, Nikola. Watching the ones you care about growing old and withering, as you remain alive and well…Fearing that the ones you love and you've known for so much time are going to die…"

"Well, if you say that _time_ is the answer, I trust you. The only problem is how we answer."

However, that didn't seem to be a problem anymore, because in a second, all the fire birds froze in the air and fell on the ground, allowing Helen to take the fragment.

"Well, that was a tough one." She said. "I don't suppose this is getting any easier…"


	6. Earth

_**It seems this update took me a little less than I initially thought. As usually, thank you for your great reviews, they are the best reward a writer could get. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too!**_

* * *

"Stella, are you sure this is Geb's test?" asked Helen, pointing to the empty room in front of them.

"Positive."

"Alright then. But there is no inscription."

"You know I am not telling you everything, Helen. Come on. Enter the room. You too, Nikola. The others stay here. "

"I don't like the sound of that." Said Helen. Last time when she had been alone with Nikola…But she couldn't think about that now. Not if she wanted to stay focused. However, she didn't have other choice, so she stepped in the chamber, closely followed by Nikola.

Geb's room was completely empty. There was absolutely no marking on the walls, nothing to tell them what to do. Nothing, except a goose feather that was lying on the ground.

"Great. Geese." Muttered Nikola.

"Don't tell me you are afraid of them." Said Helen giggling.

"Of course not. It's just that I have some unpleasant memories with a gander. But enough about that. Let me see." He took the feather from Helen's hand and examined it.

"This has to mean something. Geb was often represented as a goose, so this has to be our clue. But how in God's name is this feather going to help us?"

They were going to find out the answer very soon, because when Nikola threw the feather away, the ground turned into quick sand. They both sank into it, struggling to get away.

"Helen, relax." Nikola said. "The more you move, the faster it will cover you."

"I am almost suffocating, Nikola!" she yelled. "Do you think that relaxing is that easy?"

"Trust me. Just relax." He said, but soon after the sand covered him entirely.

"Nikola!" she yelled, but nothing happened. With no other option, she listened to Nikola's last advice, took a deep breath and relaxed, waiting for the sand to cover her too. However, the moment the sand went above her head, she felt she was falling in what seemed to be a shaft. She didn't have the time to think how deep it was, because Nikola caught her in his arms. Instinctively, she let her arms encircle his neck but soon realized what she was doing.

"I knew this would happen the moment I saw you for the first time." Nikola whispered. "I knew that eventually you wouldn't be able to resist me anymore and simply fall into my arms…"

"Put me down, Nikola. Now." She said, trying to sound as threatening as possible. The last thing she would have needed was Nikola knowing that she enjoyed being in his arms a lot more than she was supposed to.

"You have to admit that I have good reflexes." He said, holding her tighter than before.

"It was a nice catch, I'll give you that." She said and as a reward he let her go. She regretted this the moment her feet touched the ground.

"So I'm guessing that the quick sand was a bluff." She said.

"Probably."

"Well, at least now we have somewhere to go." Helen said, pointing to the tunnel in front of them. "I'll go first."

"I wonder if you always want the dominant position…" Nikola said with a grin.

"Firstly, this is something you'll never find out." She muttered. "Secondly, the last time you took the lead you triggered a trap. But if you want so much to go first…"

"No. Go. I'll be right behind you, enjoying the view…"

She fluttered her eyes, but didn't say anything. After all, the best thing she could have done was to ignore him. Because as much as she didn't want to admit it, his words had had an effect on her.

The tunnel led to another chamber with a tree right in the middle. It seemed to be a palm tree, only a lot taller than a regular one. Despite its unusual height, they were able to see the fragment of key hanging on the furthest branch.

"Looks like we'll have to climb up the tree." Helen said.

"I'm here to help you, my queen." Nikola said with a smirk and let his arms encircle her waist, helping her to climb.

"Watch it, Nikola!" she said on a threatening tone when one of his hands went a little lower than it was necessary. She grabbed the trunk and started to climb, but the tree shook, knocking her down.

"Helen, are you alright?" asked Nikola worried.

She passed a hand through her hair and discovered that blood was dripping from her temple.

"Just a scratch." She said, trying to calm Nikola. "I should have known that it wasn't going to be that easy."

"Maybe it will be after all." Nikola said pointing to an inscription they hadn't seen before.

"What does it say?"

"A hungry friend is not a helpful friend."

"Very useful. So we have to feed the tree and it will just give us what we need. The only problem is that there isn't a single drop of water in here."

"Well, it probably was a well here, but it obviously drained."

"Now what? I suppose we could dig and try to find water, but it may take ages."

"Not necessarily."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just a theory, but…"

"Come on, Nikola. Spill it out."

"You can get water by melting ice."

"Right. It shouldn't be a problem, given the fact that we are in a place full of icebergs…"

"I meant it figuratively, Helen. You know how Stella keeps saying that we are like fire and ice?"

"This is your genius idea? You think that the inscription shouldn't be taken literally?"

"Yes."

"Well then…Good luck making me melt. We both know it won't work. If Stella is right about one thing, it is that we are different. If not opposite." She was lying and deep down she knew it very well. Admittedly, they had different views about the balance between the human world and the abnormal one, but strangely, Nikola was more like her than anyone of The Five. Brilliant and thirsting for knowledge, trying to discover all the mysteries of the world…

"Opposites attract, Helen. It's Physics 101."

"Nonsense."

"You are talking to someone that has been working with electricity and magnets for over 100 years, Helen. You can't fool me with this."

"Physics is one thing and love is completely another, Nikola."

"Allow me to demonstrate how wrong you are." Before she could react, he embraced her from the behind, his hands encircling her waist again. She tried to release herself but was unsuccessful, so she just turned around, facing him. His look was so vulnerable, so unguarded that her knees softened. He pulled her even closer to him and whispered in her ear "Melting already?".

"You'd wish." She said, barely breathing. Nikola's embrace had turned her voice into a weak whisper. "It takes a lot more than this." She regretted the words the minute they went out of her mouth. Challenging Nikola was the last thing she was supposed to do at that moment. However, it seemed he accepted the challenge, because he brought his lips at a few millimeters from hers. The fragment fell from the tree, and in the next second she pushed him away, and went through the opening that had just appeared in one of the walls. The others were already there; Stella had probably showed them the way.

"How in God's name did you get that dirty?" Kate asked Helen.

"Geb's test." She replied harshly, but Kate didn't seem to be very convinced.

"I told you the children won't buy it, Helen. We might just as well tell them the truth." Nikola said grinning.

"This _is_ the truth!" Helen yelled. "I swear!" But the others went away, the look on their faces indicating that they suspected the fact that it was a lot more than met the eye to what had happened in Geb's chamber between Helen and Nikola...


	7. Walking on Air

_**I've been writing as fast as I could, trying to get this story done and so this new chapter was born;). This is going way faster than I thought, but I just can't help it…:D**_

_**Three things about this chapter: about the Math thing… I told you it will have a Stargate feeling-remember "Thor's Chariot"?**_

_**Number two: the thing with the precipice may be familiar for you if you've seen "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear." It's not a coincidence. **_

_**And thirdly, about the ending: my congratulations to any of you who saw it coming. You may now gloat.**_

_**As usually, thank you for all your great reviews!**_

* * *

"_Stella, could you please tell me why in God's name these tests are trying to make me…you know."_ thought Helen.

"_Admit the obvious?"_

"_It's not obvious, Stella!"_

"_What does your heart tell you about Nikola?"_

"_I prefer not to think about it."_

"_I don't know why I expected another answer…"_ Stella thought with a sad smile._"I know you a lot better than you think, Helen. Your heart has been shattered into one million pieces the last time you were in love and you denied yourself the right to love again. Your heart screams that you love Nikola; it screams that he will not betray you like the other did, but your mind refuses to listen. You are stubborn, Helen, more stubborn than anyone else I know, but you can't fight your feelings forever."_

"_I am not hiding anything! Even if I did, hypothetically speaking, I can try to fight them."_

"_Yes, but why do it? Why do it when it is so obvious that you need Nikola more than anyone else? Your heart cries for the sweet touch of his lips, your hands would like nothing more than playing with his messed up hair…Don't get me wrong, I know what scares you, Helen. You are used to being in control, and you feel that you are losing it every time when he is around. In Geb's chamber, when he embraced you, you felt like someone poured molted lead into your veins. Somehow, you managed to fight your feelings, but you know damn well what would have happened if that test would have lasted one more second."_

"_Nonsense."_

"_You are a lot stronger than I thought, I'll give you that. But this is not for your own good. You spent your life healing people, Helen. It is time to let Nikola heal you."_

Their arrival to Amaunet's chamber saved Helen from answering.

"She who needs no husbandis prepared to share her secrets with the ones who are worthy of it. Let the Northern wind guide you in the kingdom of the Mysterious one, but be advised: on Amaunet's territory, mysteries and shadows will haunt you at every turn. To fight them, you must prove that fear is not shadowing your soul." Nikola read the inscription.

"Sounds interesting…" Nikola said and stepped into the chamber, followed by Helen and the others. The fragment they needed didn't seem to be anywhere, but a cold wind started to blow from the walls. It was horrible. Numbness was taking over them and their blood was freezing inside their veins.

"Well, this is not exactly my definition of a warm welcoming." said Nikola.

"Are you kidding me? It's freezing here!" completed Helen, her teeth chattering.

"Well, you are the doctor here, but I guess that we will have to combine body heat in order to survive…"

"Nice try, Nikola."

"Come on, all you need to do is to increase your blood pressure. Trust me; I know a very interesting way of doing that." He slowly closed the distance between them, his arms wide open, waiting for her to give in and embrace him…

"What is that marking on the wall?" asked Will.

"Junior, if you interrupt me one more time, I swear…"

"He is right, Nikola. There is something there."

Nikola let his arms down, disappointment all over his face.

"This is interesting." He said after he finished reading the hieroglyphs. "How come there is a Greek symbol in an Egyptian pyramid?"

"Greek? Are you out of your mind, Nikola?"

"Well, with you around, it's pretty hard to focus, but this is a Greek symbol. Phi, to be more precise."

"This doesn't make any sense." Will said.

"On the contrary. Strange as it may sound, it does. It's Egyptian Mathematics."

"With Greek symbols?"

"Yes. Phi is the so called Golden number or golden ratio. It was used in the construction of the Pyramids." said Helen.

"Not only does she have the sweetest lips I've ever kissed, she also is one of the most brilliant humans I've ever known…My God, Helen, can you be any hotter than this?"

"So, what we need to do…" Helen continued, already blushing "…is to draw a segment that represents the golden ratio."

"Now I wish I didn't skip so many Math classes in high school." Muttered Kate.

"Children…Apart from seemingly making an extremely good job with interrupting us, why in God's name do you need them, Helen?"

"Because, unlike others, I am not a one man show." Saying this, she kneeled and drew an equilateral triangle in the sand. Using a compass she had improvised from two sticks tied to each other, she inserted the triangle into a circle. Then, she united the midpoints of two sides and extended the line until it met the circle. It seems it worked, because one of the walls slid away, revealing another chamber. Well, "chamber" was not exactly the right word, because the only solid thing in it seemed to be a pedestal, in the opposite part of the room. A huge precipice separated them from the pedestal.

"Great. What are we supposed to do now? Fly?" Kate's sarcastic tone indicated that she was sick and tired of these tests.

"You are going to let someone old enough to deal with this, Miss Freelander." said Stella. "Helen and Nikola are the only ones who can obtain the fragment."

"This is getting old, don't you think?"

"Come on, Helen. We are good at working together. Sure, I would have preferred to do other things with you, none of them involving work, but hey…"

"Nikola, I had an idea. You could get that fragment; I mean it seems to be made from metal."

"Already tried. This one is made from stone. No chance."

"What then?"

"Give me your hand, Helen." Nikola said, approaching the edge.

"Watch it, Nikola." She said, afraid that he would fall.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing. Your hand, please. Now."

She reluctantly listened to him, her heart almost silenced by the touch of his hand.

"Now, close your eyes." Nikola instructed.

"What are you planning?"

"Do it." He wished he would have given these instructions to her under different circumstances, but he still enjoyed it. She closed her eyes, her fingers interlacing with his as they were both on the edge. She felt him make a step forward and she instinctively followed him, realizing what she had done only when it would have been too late. The fall she expected didn't come. Instead, she kept walking, still holding his hand. They were practically walking on air.

"Well, I heard that love can make you fly, but this is a little ridiculous, don't you think?" he asked with a smirk.

"Spare me. We are walking on a mirror, aren't we?"

"Yes. It was a very nice trick, I'll have to admit, but I'm just too brilliant for someone to fool me."

"Less ego, more facts please."

"Oh, I would give you a lot of facts, but you would probably say it's not the right time. Although kissing you in mid air is a very interesting idea…"

"You think this road is going to last enough?"

"Yes. My guess is that it is as big as the precipice. The only problem is that it is not very wide, so you'll have to stay very close to me…"

They crossed over, walking so close to each other that she could feel his breath on her neck. And quite frankly, she liked this feeling. A lot. The rest of the road went well. They got the fragment and went back on the glass bridge. Stella welcomed them with a smile on the other side.

"Now that we have all of the four fragments, can you tell us what is the thing with the last chamber?" Helen asked.

"I can, but I won't."

"Please, Stella! We got the fragments, what more do you want?"

"You are not prepared for your final test." She said coldly. "I can't put you in danger."

"We are ready, you have to believe us!"

"Very well. The fifth chamber…is about the heart of everything. Figure this out and you'll get Osiris's blood."

"I don't mean to be rude, Stella, but I had enough! I am sick of all the riddles and mysteries. I want the truth."

"I am not hiding anything from you, Helen."

"I am sorry, but I think you are, Stella." As much as she tried, Helen couldn't help a threatening tone when she said her next sentence. "Or should I say…_Isis_?"


	8. Stella's Tale

_**Even if I wanted this to be a chapter meant to explain some things about Stella, I ended up adding some Teslen in it…Well, not explicitly, but it is there. As you will see, it is inspired by mythology, but I decided to change a few things…I hope you'll enjoy it! And sorry for the cliffie, I know I'm evil…**_

* * *

"So, you figured out who I was." said Stella with a sad smile. "How?"

"Well, next time you want to hide your identity, try using another name. I happen to know that Aset was one of the names given to Isis, and so was Stella Marris. This got me thinking. And then, there was the whole I know how it's like being in love with a vampire thing."

"The dark side of telepathy is that it may work both ways. I allowed you to get into my head, Helen. I shouldn't have done that."

"Does this mean that you are…how old exactly?" asked Will.

"You never ask a lady about her age, young man. It is…extremely impolite. I am thousands of years old."

"The last vampire on Earth." said Nikola with respect in his voice. "One of the Ancient Ones."

"No, Nikola. I am not a vampire. I only have vampire blood. The blood of my love runs in my veins."

"Osiris. He gave you his blood and made you immortal."

"Helen, you of all should know how this works. I am not immortal. I only age slower than normal people. Much slower. I could die whenever I want, but somebody has to guard Osiris's blood. And I chose to do it. His heart was always mine. And believe it or not, Helen, owning the heart of a vampire- ex-vampires too-it's both a gift and a burden."

"So, how did you meet Osiris?"

"It's a long story, Miss Freelander. But I will tell you. Not because you asked, but because I know someone who must learn from it."

"Let's talk on the way to your chamber, alright?"

"If you wish, Helen…But I won't lie. My test will be the hardest of all. I like you, but if you don't pass it, I won't give you the blood. Understood?"

"Well, we passed four tests…It can't be that hard." said Helen.

"I'll lead the way then." said Stella. "And I will tell you about my past. If you promise that you will try to learn something from it. Not only you, Helen. Nikola too."

"We promise."

"Very well then. I was born in Greece thousands of years ago. My hometown was the citadel of Argos. My parents gave me a name that I tried to forget, because it reminds me of my darkest times. However, that name is a part of me and I cannot deny it. My name was Io."

"As in…"

"Yes, Helen. Io, the young priestess who fell in love with Zeus."

"And I'm guessing that the legend is not entirely true, is it?"

"Come on, Helen. Of course not. Do I look like someone who was turned into a cow? These are just legends. The truth is that I didn't know that Zeus was married. I was young and he was the first man I fell in love with. You sure know how naïve you are when time has not left its mark on your wisdom."

"We are not talking about me, here."

"On the contrary. Love is the oldest story of all time."

"But always different."

"Anyway, I found out that Zeus was married and this broke my heart. Of course I left him after this. With my heart broken in one million pieces, I ran away from everything. My hometown, my family, my friends, everything. Egypt was my Old City, Helen. A place where I was able to stay and to forget. I built walls around my heart, denying myself the right of loving ever again. Because I thought that love is nothing more than an eternal torture. And I thought that nothing could tear apart the walls that protected my heart from being hurt again. But something did. Or better said someone."

"Osiris. Your brother."

"No, Nikola. He wasn't my brother."

"But Mythology…"

"What is, generally speaking, the truth of Mythology? A fable agreed upon. We weren't siblings. But we shared the same blood, so…but I will get there later. I was attracted to Osiris the moment I saw him. We were friends first, but things became more serious afterwards. He was charming and brilliant and, what was the most important, he made me feel special. He was the only one that understood me. But it scared me to death. Not the fact that he was a vampire, but the fact that I was losing control when I was around him. You see, Helen, I was used to being in control, to knowing everything… And most important, I thought I learned how to control my emotions. My heart was nothing more than a piece of ice. And he managed to melt it somehow."

"Yes, but you and Osiris were probably alike."

"Come on, Helen. We are talking about a vampire here. Me and Osiris…we couldn't be more different. We were like fire and ice."

"Why did you fall in love with him then?"

"You should know the answer better than anyone, Helen. Love lies not in the resemblance between two people. It is hidden in the mystery between them. Fire and ice are different, but if you bring them together…you get water. The very essence of life."

"So he gave you his blood because you two were in love?"

"He gave me his blood to save my life. I was sick and about to die and he was my best friend. We fell in love with each other later. Falling in love like this is something that takes time."

"Not necessarily." said Nikola with a sad smile. "It can be love at first sight."

"Yes, for you. But women tend to be…a little reluctant about falling in love with a vampire."

"Trust me, I know."

"After Osiris gave me his blood, things became different. I was given the gift of telepathy. A gift that only works on the ones that have vampire blood."

"So this is why you weren't able to read my mind and Kate's."

"Exactly, Dr. Zimmerman. You surely understand that this meant the beginning of a new chapter between me and Osiris."

"You read his mind and saw that he loves you."

"No. I read his mind and understood who he really was. His arrogance was just a mask, created to shield him from suffering. I couldn't blame him for this; after all I had created such thing myself. And I fell in love with him, Helen. Looking back, I don't know why it took me so long to admit it. He was brilliant, not to mention that he was probably the most handsome man I ever met. _Although I have to admit that your Nikola is bloody attractive too._"

"_He is not __**my**__ Nikola. And you were talking about Osiris." _thought Helen, angry that Stella was crossing the line. Again.

"His voice made me tremble every time he whispered to me, and when he kissed me…well, I don't think I need to tell you about how I felt, do I Helen?"

"No." she muttered, trying to maintain an even tone.

"The years we shared…were the most passionate of my life. Until that bastard killed him. He was his brother! He killed my love out of jealousy. Osiris was the only one that got the vampire gene. And Seth couldn't forgive him for giving his blood to a stranger. To me. My son Horus revenged Osiris's death, but Seth took a part of me away when he killed Osiris. A part of me died with him that day. And I stayed to guard his blood from the others."

"The only thing that I never understood about Osiris…" Stella continued, "…was _why_ he fell in love with me. I couldn't find the answer in his mind. He was one of the most hunted bachelors of his time. And he had sworn to remain single. I still don't know how I was able to make him change his mind."

"I can help you with that." Nikola said smiling. "He fell in love with you because you understood him, Stella. You were able to be beside him. Even in his darkest times. He had never thought he could fall in love with a human, but after he met you…everything changed. The other girls that loved him, and I am sure there were a lot, were…superficial. Boring. It made him sleepy just looking at them. But you, Stella…you were different. A lot harder to impress than the other ones. So hard to impress that Osiris probably wanted sometimes to give up on you. But he couldn't do it. He just couldn't. Because the first time he saw you smiling, he knew that he would spend an eternity being in love with you. And if he wouldn't manage to convince you…he was decided to stay as close to you as possible. Just to watch that sparkle of excitement in your blue eyes whenever you found out something new. Just to have a reason to dream that he will one day taste your lips…"

"Your theory may be correct, Nikola. The only problem is…I have green eyes."

"So, this is your chamber?" asked Helen, wanting to change the subject as fast as possible. She had never seen Nikola so vulnerable, so prepared to reveal his feelings… _Was he really in love with her?_ _Even if he was, they had a mission. And they couldn't let their feelings take over._

"It is. I'll go first." Stella said, interrupting her thoughts.

Pushing a symbol on the wall, Stella opened her own chamber, followed closely by the others.

"It's been a long time, Isis." A voice came from the dark. "And I see you brought some friends. Good. The blood will finally be mine."


	9. Seth's Heir

_**This chapter was finished a lot sooner than I expected...:P. And the next one is almost ready, so as you can see I'm trying to make your life easier with those cliffies... However, this is not a Teslen chapter, but it is important for the whole story.**_

**_As usually, thank you for all your reviews!_**

* * *

"It's nice to see you, Isis. After all, we are relatives." said the unknown man. Helen and the others turned their lanterns on, only to see that he was a tall man, probably in his 40s. His eyes were dark and cold and he had black hair.

"I am afraid I can't say the same thing, Odji. " Stella said coldly. "I thought I killed you ten years ago."

"Sorry to disappoint you. You are as wicked as ever. You help _them_, two complete strangers, to get Osiris's blood, but you refuse to help your own family? I came at your place few days ago, Isis, I asked your help, but no, you had to find the _Chosen Ones_! I can't believe you still think that the legend is true."

"You didn't come to my place." Stella said confused. "Somebody came, yes, but he was…"

"…an old man?" Odji continued. In a split of a second, he disappeared in a flash of light and appeared back as a pitiful, old man. "I couldn't just come to your place being myself. And I'm guessing my blood wasn't pure enough for your telepathy to work on me."

"I should have known it was you." Stella said. "I am guessing you have the genes of your ancestor."

"_Ancestor_?" Helen asked. "Can somebody explain this to me?"

"Well, Mythology isn't very accurate, Helen. Seth had a daughter. And Odji…"

"I am Seth's heir. The one that was able to carry on the blood of the mighty Seth. The one who should have ruled Egypt."

"Family problems, Stella?" Nikola asked.

"You have no idea. Seth wasn't a vampire, but he was still an Abnormal. I believe he was what Helen would call a Morpher. Someone who is able to transform into whoever or whatever he wants. This is why Seth has always been depicted as an unknown, mysterious creature. And Odji obviously inherited his powers."

"You hid the fact that Seth had a daughter! You made him look like some kind of monster; you made mortals believe that you and Osiris were gods and you never told me who I was! You thought that I will live not knowing the truth, like all of my ancestors did. But I found out."

"Seth was nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer, Odji. And you are just like him."

"A _murderer? _How dare you call him like that? Osiris was his brother! He should have given him his blood, but he chose to give it to a pitiful mortal. It makes me sick just thinking at this."

"Osiris loved me! I was closer to him than Seth ever was. I stood beside him. Seth betrayed him. He was terrified of what Osiris was. I was the only one that understood him, that knew he wasn't a monster."

"He was a monster and so are you! You cheated people, pretending that you were a goddess…"

"They need something to believe in, Odji. But I didn't tell them anything. They thought I was a goddess because of my powers. And because I was almost immortal. However, I never took advantage of their faith. I ruled over them with dignity. They loved me and I loved them."

"Nonsense. Seth should have got the vampire gene. His brother didn't deserve it. But I am going to fix this. Osiris's blood is mine."

"Osiris's blood only belongs to the ones that deserve it, Odji, and you are clearly not one of them. You don't deserve it. You think that it will transform you into a vampire, but you are wrong."

"You are right. I don't want to be a vampire, Isis. I just want to be immortal. This way, I can take what is rightfully mine. The world."

"The world belongs to its people, Odji. They have evolved; they can take care of themselves now. They are almost like us. They deserve to be free. I didn't think that, but in the past few days, I met someone. And even if she isn't human, she knows what it's like to be normal. Yes, she is stubborn as hell, and she refuses to admit the obvious, but she is just as I was when I was young."

"I am sick and tired of this, Isis! Give me the blood now or I will kill you." Saying this, Odji took his gun out and pointed it at Stella. Instead of being frightened, she smirked at him.

"Killing me will only assure the fact that you won't get the blood, Odji. I am the only one who can give it to anyone. I designed the tests, making sure that no one could get it without my help."

"I know. Your little telepathy trick in Sekhmet's chamber, designed to make them think that the mighty goddess herself is talking to them, all of the tests meant to give the fragments only to those that are like you and your beloved Osiris…Pathetic! This is why I waited for them to get the four fragments. But now, my patience is gone. Give me the blood. Now."

Helen had already pulled out her gun, but she knew that she couldn't kill Odji before he would have killed Stella. So she decided to buy everybody some time.

"I'll help you, Odji." She said. "Nobody has to die."

"No, Helen." Stella said.

"Can't you see that he deserves the blood, Stella?" she asked. "_I have everything under control. Don't worry."_

Stella's chamber was empty, except for a table that was right in the middle of it. A circle split in four pieces was carved in the center of the table. Helen's fingers ran over the hieroglyphs that were painted on the table. A lion, a crocodile, a goose and a woman with a red crown. Sekhmet, Sobek, Geb and Amaunet. The four elements. Helen placed the four fragments according to the drawings, but nothing happened at first. However, soon after, an inscription appeared on the floor.

"I shall give the blood of my love only to those that demonstrate me they know what is the heart of everything." Nikola translated.

"_The Heart of Everything_?" Helen said. "This is bloody useless."


	10. The Heart of Everything

_**This is it, guys! My last but one chapter! And my last cliffie, by the way:P .I don't know how exactly did this turn to be an angsty chapter, it just did. I know some of you won't like the ending, but I came to the conclusion that this is the only way to do it. And I will make up for it in the last chapter, I promise!:D**_

_**As usually, thank you for your great reviews!**_

* * *

"I am sorry, but this test is designed in such way that it requires both of you to work on it. In the most difficult way possible." Stella said.

"What does the inscription mean, Stella?" Helen asked. _"You can tell me, I won't give him the blood. I plan to destroy it, but I need to get it first."_

"I won't tell you, Helen. As I said, I like you. And I am terribly sorry that I designed this test, now that I know you. But you are the only one who can pass it. I am afraid you are not prepared though."

"We got the four fragments." Nikola said.

"One thing about Mythology is that it repeats itself. One way or another. So it is written in the book of destiny. Taking those fragments wasn't enough."

"Not that I wouldn't like the idea of kissing Helen again…But we need to forget about the test now. "

"We can't Nikola."

"Have you finished?" Odji asked angry. He pushed the trigger, firing a bullet two inches away from Stella's head. "I am not in the mood for jokes."

"Alright, alright." Helen said. "Let me think. The heart of everything…This has to be somehow related to love, all her tests were. We obviously need to find out what this means. It's probably a riddle, like Sekhmet's. Is this the answer, Stella? _Love_?"

"No. Not exactly."

"Maybe it has something to do with Egyptian Mythology." Nikola suggested. "The heart of everything…The most important god was Ra. And as I recall, you knew his secret name. Is this what we are supposed to find out?"

"Helen was closer."

"Alright. We need to kiss again?" Nikola asked with a spark of glee in his eyes. "I like the way you think, Stella."

"I am afraid a kiss won't be enough this time, Nikola."

"Do you or do you not know how to take the blood?" Odji asked.

"We don't." Helen admitted.

"Well then…I guess I don't need you anymore." Saying this, Odji pointed his gun at Helen and fired. She felt something pushing her and she fell on the floor. Strangely, she didn't feel any pain. The bullet had missed her. In a split of a second, she pointed her gun at Odji and fired. A single shot. A single shot and everybody was safe. Everybody, except Nikola. He had fallen on the table, blood dripping from his chest. He had taken the bullet for Helen and now he was paying with his life. Reality hit Helen in the head like a club. She ran to him, refusing to accept that his wound was one that would kill him in less than three minutes and took his hand into hers.

"I always dreamed of dying like that…" Nikola said with a sad smile. "Holding your hand…"

"Don't be silly, Nikola. You won't die." She lied, tears dropping from her eyes.

"Helen, I can recognize a fatal wound when I see it. I won't make it. But dying in your arms is the most pleasant way to do it."

"Don't you dare do this, Nikola! Don't you die on me! Did you hear me? You have to live, Nikola. You have to." She said, her hands dipped in the crimson liquid that was flowing from his wound. But he didn't listen. He never listened to her and this time was no exception. He closed his eyes, the image of Helen crying being the last he saw.

"Magnus, I am sorry, but he is…" said Will.

"Don't you say this, Dr. Zimmerman! He is not gone!" she yelled. "You can't be gone, Nikola. You can't be gone, because…" Her voice was nothing more than a whisper when she continued. "…because I love you." She could almost feel her heart shattering into one million pieces. How come she had been so stubborn, denying the obvious? Nikola was everything to her, she now realized it, but she knew that it was too late. He wasn't going to live to hear the one thing he had wanted to know for so much time. She _loved_ him. Over the years, she had lost so many-her mother, Nigel, James, Ashley-but nothing could compare to the pain she felt losing Nikola. How could she be so cold to him? Stella had been right all along. She loved Nikola, but she had been too stubborn to admit it. She rested her head on his chest, tears dropping from her eyes. He was gone. Forever.

And then, suddenly, something happened. The table moved away, revealing a small niche in the ground. Shocked, Helen took the vial containing Osiris's blood from it and threw Stella a questioning look.

"The heart of everything, Helen…" Stella explained, "…is sacrifice. Sacrifice made out of love. Take the blood, Helen. You deserve it."

"What good is it now? Nikola is dead."

"Not yet. Use the blood, Helen. It is his only hope."

Completely ignoring the fact that it was probably the most dangerous thing she had ever done, she took a syringe and dipped it in the vial. After that, she injected the red liquid in Nikola's vein. As dangerous as it was, injecting blood from another species, it was a thing that could have saved him. And this was everything that mattered. But nothing happened.

"It's not working, Stella. We are too late."

"The blood needs to mix with Nikola's. It takes time. But he is not dead. I promise."

"What will you do now, Stella?" Kate asked. "I mean, there is no blood left for you to protect."

"I will die, of course."

"You don't need too." Helen said. "You can come to my Sanctuary."

"No, Helen. It's how it's supposed to be. I've been separated from my love for too long. And I am dying, Helen. That blood doesn't work forever. Of course, I could have injected it to myself again, but I don't want to live anymore. Fire and ice. Forever united. Either in death or in life. I have enough time left to make sure I don't have any unfinished business, and then…I'll go. Death is not the end, Helen. It is the beginning of a wonderful journey. Osiris awaits me. Just promise me you'll do what is right with Nikola, alright?"

"I promise." Helen whispered, her head still resting on Nikola's chest. Soon after, she felt his heartbeats and knew he was going to live. She had succeeded. But she didn't know what effect the blood will have on him.

"What will he become, Stella?" she asked in a small voice.

"If he survives…the future. But it's a pretty big _if_, Helen. He needs you to be beside him."

Helen nodded briefly, her eyes locked on Nikola's unconscious body. He had always been there for her, and now she had the chance of paying this debt. She was going to stay beside him for as long as it was necessary. Not because she wanted to pay a debt. Because she _loved_ him.


	11. Epilogue

_**This chapter is dedicated to all that read/reviewed my story, especially to Cristina, who is probably sad that she came back from her trip…I hope a little smut will cheer her up:P Because yes, this chapter is a little smutty… But enough talking:D Enjoy!**_

* * *

Nikola opened up his eyes and discovered that he was in a hospital bed, probably in the Cairo Sanctuary. The children were both in his room, but he only had eyes for Helen. She was kneeled right beside his bed, her head rested on the edge of his bed. She was probably having a sweet dream-not related to him if he knew her well-but this didn't stop him from contemplating how beautiful she was when she was sleeping.

"Rise and shine, Fang Boy." Kate said.

Nikola scoffed at the ridiculous name Kate gave him, but he wasn't in the mood for a fight now.

"How long has she been staying here for?" he asked whispering, afraid that he would wake her up.

"Two whole days." Will said. "I was more worried for her than I was for you. She refused to leave, she refused to sleep and she barely ate anything."

"I hope you do realize you are one lucky bastard." Kate said.

"I'm assuming she injected Osiris's blood to me."

"She did. But that's not why you are a lucky bastard. You're lucky because she loves you."

"Are you…" Nikola started asking, but was interrupted by Helen, who woke up.

"You are alive." She whispered, with the most relieved look she had ever had.

"You didn't expect to get rid of me so easily, did you?" he joked, his gaze lost in her blue eyes.

"You are back to your blood-sucking self, I presume." Helen said, ignoring his last question.

With a smirk, he flashed his eyes, turning them to black for a few moments. "Perfect and irresistible as always."

"Good. However, I will have to keep you in bed for a few more days, just to be sure."

"Keep me in bed? But Helen, I'll get bored." He threw her a sinful glance. "Unless you want to join me."

"We'll…" Kate said.

"…leave now." Will completed. "You guys probably need some time to talk."

"Or whatever you guys want to do. Anyway, you won't need us anymore." Kate said and left, pulling Will after her.

"Now that we are alone, what do you say we see how you'll keep me in bed?"

"Very funny." Helen said, ignoring the fact that her mind was long lost into gutter. "I want to see if your wound has healed. Take off your shirt."

He didn't even bother listening to her, but he smiled mischievously. "For how long have you been dreaming to tell me this?"

"Nikola…" she said on a threatening tone.

"Alright, alright." He said, beginning to unbutton his shirt. "I suppose you are not willing to help me?"

She didn't answer, so he took off his shirt by his own and placed it on the bed next to him. Helen couldn't help biting her lip at his incredibly sexy sight. He wasn't bulky or anything, but his lean, slender muscles seemed extremely kissable. "_And I am supposed to keep a doctor/patient relationship with him."_ She thought.

"Impressed?" Nikola asked with a smirk.

"Your wound is perfectly healed." She said in the most even tone possible."Osiris's blood is fascinating."

Her soft fingers touched his skin, much more like a lover than a doctor. "Not even a scratch."

"I didn't mean my wound, Helen, and you know it." Nikola said with a sexy smile. He moved closer to her and whispered seductively in her ear. "You are not supposed to maintain a doctor/patient relationship with me, Helen."

The look on Helen's face was priceless. As if she was mortified with fear. _"Did I say that aloud?" _she asked herself. "_No, I didn't. Then, how in God's name does he…Oh crap."_ She said, realizing the truth. A thought came to her mind, but it wasn't hers. "_Osiris's blood is certainly marvelous."_

"It only works on the ones with vampire blood, Nikola. It's no big deal."

"Reading your mind? It is a very big deal, Helen. I could get used to it."

"Why did you do it, Nikola?" she asked, trying to change the subject as soon as possible. "Why did you give up the thing that matters the most to you just to save me?"

"I didn't, Helen. I gave up one thing I thought it was important, but I realized that without you…my life would be meaningless. You _are_ my life, Helen. And I would die for you. For as many times as it is necessary."

"Nikola, do you remember what I said the last time you kissed me?" She asked, her cold fingers exploring his chest. _Ice._

"That I won't ever get another kiss from you?" He replied, his gaze fixated on her lips. Desire was burning in his eyes. _Fire._

"I lied." She whispered seductively, and crushed her lips to his. _Finally together…_She was surprised, but very excited at how fast he responded. She gave in to the passion that had been burning inside her for so much time, making Nikola realize that stealing kisses from her had been a bad idea. Of course, it was funny, but those kisses couldn't even begin to compare to the one he was receiving right now. She let her hands play with his deliciously ruffled hair, as his expert lips were drawing whimpers of pleasure from her throat. With a silent moan, she allowed his tongue entrance, relishing the butterflies that were swarming in her stomach. _Why the hell did she wait so long to do this?_ But it wasn't the time to think at the past. Present was all that mattered. Their lips parted minutes after with a muffled protest from her, but they both needed air. The passion of the kiss they had shared had left them breathless.

"I could get used to this, you know." Nikola said.

"Saving my life or kissing me?"

"Both. Although I prefer the kissing part."

"Me too." She said with a mischievous smile. She brought her lips close to his mouth, wanting another kiss as soon as possible, but his words interrupted her.

"Good. Because I have an idea."

"What?" she asked, a little scared.

"Well, Osiris's blood may have turned me into a vampire again, but I am still the only vampire left."

"Don't tell me you want to build up an army again."

"Not exactly. But I figure…three little vampires would be an interesting start."

She got up his bed in a blink of an eye, with the angriest look he had ever seen.

"I can't believe you did this to me!" she yelled, heading to the door. "How could I be so stupid, falling in love with you? I thought you loved me, Nikola, I really did, but I can't be with you if you are so obsessed with world domination. I am sick and tired of cleaning after you."

"This time it will be different."

"It never is, Nikola!" she said, almost crying. "Didn't you learn that yet? Vampires want domination, they would enslave us again."

"Yes, well, I was hoping their mother will teach them the whole _fragile balance that needs to be kept _thing."

His words froze her, stopping her from exiting the room. She turned back, wishing that the telepathy between them worked both ways.

"_Mother_, Nikola? Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

He stood up, and got closer to her, so close that his breath was tickling her face. "For over 100 years now, _Sweet Lips._"

She threw him a look that was still angry. "You are absolutely incurable." She said scoffing. "But this doesn't mean that I don't want you." Her lips conquered his mouth once more, giving him a short but wet kiss. Throwing him a sinful glance, she pushed him on the bed and stood on top of him, her lips letting his mouth go in order to explore his chest. After a while, her mouth discovered his neck, as her teeth gently sank into his soft skin.

"Watch it, Miss Magnus." He said in a tone which was a mixture of scolding and threatening. "I am the vampire here." He tilted her head up, forcing her mouth off his neck, only to get his lips under her domination once more.

"Oh, and one more thing." He said, making their lips part, a thing which she clearly didn't enjoy. Holding her, he rolled over, so that he was now the one in the dominant position.

"I will be the one leading this project." He whispered sensually.

"I am afraid you are going to have to bribe me for that, Nikola."

He accepted her challenge with a smirk, as his fingers playfully began unbuttoning her blouse.

"I get that you like my idea?" he whispered.

"What can I say? You are brilliant." She said, as one of her fingers traced a line on his abdomen, getting her hand dangerously close to his belt. It took her a while to unbutton it, mostly because she was distracted by his hands that were swarming on her body, but after a while that pesky belt was discarded.

"Genius, remember?" he asked, his hands going up on her thighs, setting fires through all her body.

"_My_ genius. Forever. I like the sound of that." Her hands relished once more the feel of his messed up hair, pulling him deeper in a kiss that seemed to last forever.

* * *

**~fin~**


End file.
